BREWER, Maine — The Brewer High School hockey team has some unfinished business.

The Witches had another remarkable season but it was tainted by a 4-3 overtime loss to York in the state Class B championship game last March.

It was the Witches’ first loss after 19 wins and a tie. It was just their 19th loss in their last 134 games (110-19-5). They were the 2007 and 2010 Class B state champs and had Class A playoff teams in 2008 and 2009.

And they will have extra motivation when they open the season Friday in Houlton.

“Losing in the state game makes us want to come back and [win the state title] even more,” said senior right wing and tri-captain Tyler White, who was Brewer’s leading scorer with 34 & 22 and was an All-Eastern Maine second team pick.

“Nobody wants to have that happen again,” said senior defenseman and tri-captain Michael Shedd, who feels the Witches may have been a “little too cocky” going into the state game and said they won’t let that cockiness creep into this year’s locker room.

Coach David Shedd, Michael’s father, said York deserved to win the state championship last season but added that if “we had won the game, we would have deserved it, too.

“We’ve got to get back there and try to finish it this year,” said the third-year coach.

White added, “We’ve got a big senior group and we should be pretty solid all-around with our experience.”

David Shedd said he has a “good club.

“We’re fast. We might be a tad faster than last year,” he said. “And we’ve got a lot of good synchronized passing. We’ve got guys who have been on lines together for a couple of years.”

Michael Shedd said they don’t have much size but they’ll compensate by having “a lot of fast skaters.”

White and Jacob Chapman were linemates a year ago with Nadeau and will cause all kinds of problems for their opponents. Chapman had 19 & 14.

They will be joined by senior Joey Fowler, who has played both forward and defense and had a goal in the state game.

“Evan was really fast but Joey is just as fast and mobile. He’ll be a good fit for us,” said White.